November 20, 2024

At our November 19 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, we heard an update from district leaders about Barrington 220's annual report card, assembled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The report card reflects data from the 2023-24 school year in the following areas.

• Student achievement
• Growth
• Attendance
• College and Career Readiness
• School Climate and Culture

During the 2023-24 school year, Barrington 220 students performed as well or better than 91% of students in Illinois school districts in Math and as well or better than 95% of students in Illinois school districts in Reading. It is important to note that Illinois has the 4th most rigorous benchmarks for proficiency compared to all other states. This means it is more difficult for an Illinois student to obtain a score that meets state expectations. Click here to listen to a detailed explanation.

Illinois has five summative designations for schools: Exemplary, Commendable, Targeted, Comprehensive, and Intensive. These designations are based on data in the five areas mentioned above. However, each area is weighted to determine a school’s final designation. Click here to view how each area is weighted.

Nine D220 schools earned a commendable summative designation, two schools earned an exemplary designation, and one school earned a targeted designation. Click here to view the designation for each school. Most of the district’s commendable schools are very close to earning an exemplary designation, which you can see by viewing these charts.

One area of focus for the district is improving student attendance, which weighs heavily on a school's summative designation status. Chronic absenteeism has increased in Barrington 220 and across the state since the pandemic. However, the district saw a nearly 4% improvement from 2022-23 compared to 2023-24 and is working to continue that downward trend. In addition, the district is focusing on how it can accelerate growth for all students through rigorous academic opportunities.

• Click here to view the full presentation.
• Click here to listen to the full presentation.

At our Nov. 19 meeting, we discussed the next steps regarding the $64M referendum Barrington area voters approved on Election Day. The first step is for the district to identify an architectural firm and construction management company. The Board agreed to follow the district's recommendation to continue working with DLA Architects and Pepper Construction. This would allow the district to break ground on some of the smaller construction projects in 2025 by taking advantage of this summer's construction window. The next step is for a construction timeline to be established and shared with our school community. Construction will likely span over four years.

At our Nov. 19 meeting, we heard a presentation about the tentative 2024 tax levy, which is the first step in the process of establishing a final levy of property taxes to support the district in 2025. Barrington 220 collects property taxes from Cook, Kane, Lake, and McHenry Counties, and property taxes account for approximately 80% of the district's annual operating revenues. If approved, the district expects to receive an overall levy increase of 4.5% compared to last year, however, it is requesting a 5.0% increase in the event new construction is larger than expected. This includes the capped funds and debt service obligations. Based on projections, the total expected tax revenue to be collected in 2025 is $164,454,578. The next step in the tax levy approval process is a public hearing set for our Dec. 3 Board meeting. We are anticipated to approve the final tax levy on Dec. 17. As part of the tentative levy, the Board did not issue Debt Service Extension Base (DSEB) this year, however, we still have the option to do so this fiscal year. Click here to read tax levy FAQs.

Framework 220 Spotlight: Infrastructure/Facilities

In his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 meeting, Dr. Winkelman highlighted an objective from the district's strategic plan, Framework 220. The purpose of the Infrastructure/Facilities objective under the Stewardship strategic priority is to maintain and develop facilities/infrastructure for present and future needs to empower learning. This year this objective team is collaborating closely with DLA Architects on a comprehensive district-wide inventory of facilities and maintenance equipment, which will inform and share the district's future capital investment strategies. Click here to view the Stewardship dashboard.

In his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that as part of the Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship objective under the Health & Well-Being strategic priority, the district has created a Social Media Awareness & Digital Citizenship Advisory Committee. The committee includes representation from key stakeholders across the district (Students, Parents, Community Members, and Barrington 220 Staff), and experts in the field. During the 2024-25 school year, the committee is gathering data and reviewing current practices and procedures surrounding this topic. Click here to visit the committee's webpage.

Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition 

In his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that BStrong Together is hosting a FREE screening of the documentary film Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition on Thursday, November 21 at 7pm in the Prairie Campus Library. This new version of the original Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age film explores the profound effects that increased screen time can have on children's mental health. Following the film there will be a a Q&A discussion with local area experts including Barrington 220's Assistant Superintendent for Technology & Innovation, Dr. Matt Fuller. Click here to reserve your free ticket.

At our Nov. 19 meeting, we recognized 39 Barrington 220 educators who have earned the Science of Reading micro-credential. A micro-credential is a short, competency-based recognition that allows teachers to demonstrate mastery in a particular area that supports students' success. To earn this micro-credential, teachers had to complete more than 70 hours of professional learning through the LETRS course (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). A total of 110 D220 educators have earned this micro-credential. Watch this video to learn more!

In his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that Om Gandhi (BHS '21) was recently one of only 32 Americans named a 2025 Rhodes Scholar. Om will pursue a doctorate at the University of Oxford in England next fall. He is set to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania this May, where he is concurrently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and public health and a master’s degree in bioengineering. Om shared in an email with Dr. Winkelman and other D220 educators that as he reflects on this incredible opportunity, he can't help but think about the strong foundation his Barrington 220 education provided him in STEM and the humanities.

During his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 meeting, Dr. Winkelman recognized 31 BHS students named 2025 National Merit Commended students. These students received a letter of commendation based on their scores on the PSAT test taken in their junior year. Commended students are among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students from across the country who took the test.

Congrats to the following seniors: Anmita Avirneni, Dylan Chaturvedi, Olivia Chau, Sophia Cusimano, Ethan Davis, Benjamin Gresham, Graham Jackson, Alexandra Johnson, Calvin Kim, Alexis Lais, James Lau, Chloe Lee, Matthew Louis, Daniel McCoppin, Benjamin McGovern, Alexander Myren, Masaharu Nagaoka, Aarav Nambiar, Virginia Olson, Kaitlin Olszewski, Ria Patel, Sarah Rampurwala, Sabrina Roach, Shiv Sastry, Joel Setyo, Aarav Shukla, Rohan Soorya, John Sun, Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Tseng, and Annie Wu!

During his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that the Barrington 220 Communications Department recently received an award in the video category from the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA). The awards program recognizes high-quality PR materials that promote the mission and message of a school district. The department received the award for producing Dr. Winkelman's video series, All in 220.

During his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 19 Board meeting, Dr. Winkelman recognized us as a Board for our volunteer service and dedication to the school district. The Illinois Association of School Boards has designated November 15 of each year as "School Board Members Day" in Illinois. The day recognized the outstanding efforts of the nearly 6,000 elected school board members throughout the state.

This school year, students from each Barrington 220 school will make a special appearance at our Board of Education meetings to share an update about the great things happening at their school. At our Nov. 19 meeting, we welcomed Blair Bauman, a 5th grader at North Barrington Elementary. During her time at North Barrington, Blair has been involved in many extracurricular activities including mini courses, band, and student council. She also plans to participate in 5th-grade basketball. She says all of these opportunities make North Barrington #ThePlaceToB!